“IF you love Me…keep My commandments.” – Jesus (John 14:15)

“Blessed is the man…whose delight is in the law of the Lord. And in His law he mediates day and night.” (Ps. 1:1-2)

“Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.” -Paul. (1 Cor. 7:19). Can I just tell you that if one is truly following the leading of God’s Spirit…that is what they are doing? (Rom. 8:13-14, 4; 1 John 2:3-4; 5:2-3)

If you’ve been reading here the past week or so, we’ve actually been touching on the first 3 commandments, even though that was not my intent or original plan. The first commandment, as you probably know... highlights the need of recognizing there is only One God and He is the One worthy of our worship above all others. The second commandment introduced us to this idea that God was a ‘jealous God’ and was known for ‘visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him…but shows mercy to thousands who love Him and keep His commandments.” (Deut. 5:6-10)

But I actually started out addressing the third commandment and what it might really mean to ‘take the name of the Lord…in vain’. And while I was digging around in those first few commandments, I moved right in to the fourth one, about ‘keeping the Sabbath...and found a particular verse ‘jump out’ at me. It seems that many people tend to place much emphasis and focus on what one is ‘not supposed to do’ on the Sabbath day, but it’s what we are told explicitly we should be doing…that I want to address today, and I find it interesting that today happens to be ‘Juneteenth Day’ as well. Would you please underline in your Bible - Deuteronomy 5:15...

“And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and outstretched arm.”

“…remember you WERE a slave…remember you WERE a slave…remember you WERE a slave…”.

Do you realize what God is trying to get through their heads and hearts? You are no longer ‘slaves’.

I’ve come to learn that is a hard lesson for God’s children to latch onto, believe in, and then live out. Maybe if we spent more time giving thought to that truth, instead of focusing on lists of things we shouldn’t be doing on the Sabbath…we might begin to understand the powerful truth shared here in this verse.

Now…let’s make the jump to the New Testament, and listen to the words of Jesus... found, in John 8:34-36. “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a ‘slave’ of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Does your Bible say that ‘whoever commits sin is a ‘slave’? Did Jesus not say He came to ‘set the captives free?’ (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; Romans 6:17-18,22).

Do you know how Jesus set us free from ‘slavery’? The same way God did back in Exodus…with His ‘outstretched arms’; but this time they were pierced through with nails…I’ll give you a moment with that one.

For some odd, but not so strange reason…this message has failed to reach the people it was intended for, much like what happened back in Galveston, TX in 1865. That’s why today is a national holiday, ‘Juneteenth Day’. Are you familiar with that piece of history?

“On June 19, 1865, Union troops informed a reluctant community in Galveston, Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had freed enslaved people in rebel states two and a half years earlier. They pressed locals to comply with the directive.

Although Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became effective Jan. 1, 1863, people who owned slaves were responsible for telling them that they were free, and some ignored the order until Union troops arrived to enforce it. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the proclamation announced.” (USA Today)

Can you imagine the responses and array of emotions experienced by those who learned of this news, and their freedom…two years after the fact? If you were one of those slaves, I can imagine the confusion and disbelief you might be experiencing. But let me ask you this: Once you had processed this news and understood the implications, would you find yourself growing angry…with the Union soldiers who brought this news to you, that you were no longer slaves?

I can see being angry with the slave owners who withheld that news from you and kept you in captivity. But there would be no sense in beating yourself up since you would have had no way of knowing that you had been freed by decree (Luke 4:18). Even more importantly, would you have been reluctant to walk out this new ‘freedom’ you had learned of, or would you have just figured it was all poetic language and that you would always be a slave until you died.

Or maybe… just be a slave ‘from time to time’ because…you had always been a slave and can a slave ever really NOT be a slave? One last question- what would be your reaction to watch your fellow slaves, after learning of their freedom, continue to live as slaves? Jesus came to bring some good news to humanity. He Himself declared : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me…to proclaim liberty to the captives…to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Luke 4:18)

I have a hard time imagining that those slaves in Texas would have been offended by hearing such news; and yet today…stand before a congregation of believers and tell they have been set free and can actually go and ‘sin no more’ (John 5:14; 8:11; 1 John 2:6; 3:6:5:18) and watch the knives come out wanting to carve up the word and tell you otherwise.

Happy Juneteenth Day! :- )